The Missouri Tigers are headed to the northeast to face the Boston College Eagles for what will be one of their toughest tests of the season to date.
On Tuesday, Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke with the media to discuss the Eagles for the first time. According to him, the biggest challenge the Tigers will face this week is the Eagles' offensive line.
“What makes them go is there five offensive linemen up front,” the Tiger Head Coach said. “You’re talking about a group that’s 300 lbs and 6’3 across the board.” He also added that he believes BC’s best player is their Left Guard.
Beyond their exceptional linemen, the Eagles also excel in special teams. Drinkwitz was extremely complimentary of that unit saying, “They might have the best special teams in the country right now.” RB Travis Levy has been a lethal returner for BC, and the Tigers will surely be careful when they kick him the ball.
Offensively, Boston College will be without their star QB, Phillip Jurkovec. He’s the key that gets their offense going, but Drinkwitz knows that if his team can’t improve their run defense, Jurkovec’s absence may not matter.
“It’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us to stop the run,” Drinkwitz explained. “I would expect [their gameplan] to be very similar [to Kentucky’s]. We struggled with Kentucky, so I anticipate they’ll copy it. That’s what I would do at least.”
Outside of challenges on the field, one of the big struggles for Mizzou under the Drinkwitz regime has been their road record. In his 6 road games, the Tigers are just 1-5, with the only win being a nailbiter in Columbia East against a subpar Gamecocks team last year. On Saturday, Drinkwitz will be out for win number two but made it very clear he doesn’t think it will be easy. “I’ve played up there before when I was at NC State, and it’s a tough environment,” he said.